Refrigerator system and assembly



Dec. 20, 1955 r E. T. MORTON 2,727,361

REFRIGERATOR SYSTEM AND ASSEMBLY Filed Dec. 6, 1952 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN! YL NTOF Dec. 20, 1955 v E. T. MORTON 2,727,361

REFRIGERATOR SYSTEM AND ASSEMBLY Filed Dec. 6, 1952 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TOR.

EVA/VS 7.' MORTON Dec. 20. 1955 E. T. MORTON 2,727,361

REFRIGERATOR SYSTEM AND ASSEMBLY Filed Dec. 6, 1952 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR.

Y EVANS T. MORTON Dec. 20, 1955 E. T. MORTON 2,727,361

REFRIGERATOR SYSTEM AND ASSEMBLY Filed Dec. 6, 1952 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 United States Patent O REFRIGERATOR SYSTEM AND ASSEMBLY Evans A. Morton, Galesburg, 111., assignor to Admiral Corporation, Chicago, 11]., a corporation of Delaware Application December 6, 1952, Serial No.-324,475

6 Claims. (Cl. 62-3) This invention relates to mechanical refrigerators and has particular significance in connection with multitemperature domestic refrigerators having separate refrig erant systems for separate compartments thereof.

In the past, it has been known to provide'refrigerators having a freezer chest compartment and a moist cold (above freezing temperature) food storage compartment with separate refrigerant circulating systems and separate controls for the two compartments. It is not desirable to use two motor driven compressors for the two systems, so the systems overlap one another and problems have heretofore arisen in connection with assembly of the completed refrigerator, and more serious problems have arisen in connection with disassembly, maintenance and repair of the systems of refrigerators so provided.

It is a purpose of the present invention to provide simple and inexpensive means for overcoming the above mentioned difiiculty.

A further purpose of the present invention is to provide, for a two temperature refrigerator, a relatively trouble free secondary refrigerant circuit for abstracting heat from a moist cold food storage compartment thereof, and a separately installable and removable primary refrigerant circuit for abstracting heat from a freezer chest compartment, together with means permitting removal or repair of primary system primarily from the front without disturbing other parts of the refrigerator. Usually, the motor compressor is incorporated in the primary system and the secondary system is so simple that service or repair is largely confined to the primary system.

Broadly, and in accordance with the embodiments of the invention herein illustrated and described, a dual compartment refrigerator having a food storage compartment and a freezer chest compartment both contained within insulation in an outer shell has both compartments installable and removable from the front of the refrigerator. Because there is little likelihood of any repair eing required for the secondary system which has no moving parts, the food storage compartment, with secondary conduit mounted on the sides and rear thereof, is installed first, and the freezer and its surrounding primary conduit is arranged to be installed second, means being provided so that in final position the two systems are in a controllable heat exchanging relationship throughout portions of their lengths. The primary system is completed through a compressor and condenser mounted outside of the outer shell, all to the end that the primary system will be very readily removable for maintenance or repair without disturbing the secondary system or the outer shell or the insulation therein.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent and the invention may be better understood from consideration of the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. l is a side elevational view, partly broken away, showing a completed refrigerator constructed in accordance with the invention and having an upper freezer 2,727,361 Patented Dec. 20, 1955 ice chest compartment and a lower moist cold food storage compartment;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the liner of the moist cold compartment and showing the secondary refrigerant system having conduit about the compartment and extending thereabove to the secondary transfer plate;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing freezer chest and associated parts of the primary system including this primary transfer plate adapted to be located above and in front of the secondary transfer plate, and also showing a bottom mounted compressor and back mounted condenser which are actually located outside the shell of the re frigerator, as in Fig. 1, although for purposes of clarity the shell is not shown in Fig. 3;

Fig. 4 is a detail showing a method of attachment of freezer chest to back of refrigerator outer shell; and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged section showing arrangement of conduits and wires adjacent a solenoid valve which functions as a part of the refrigerator control as hereinafter more fully explained.

Referring now to Fig. l, the refrigerator is seen having an outer shell 10 and doors 11 and 21 respectively providing access to an upper freezer chest 12 and lower moist cold food storage compartment 22. The freezer chest 12 is defined by its liner 13 which is surrounded by tubing 14 which, as hereafter explained, is part of the primary conduit system and functions as an evaporator to extract heat from the freezer chest. Other parts of the primary system include a bottom mounted motor driven compressor 15 and a back mounted condenser 16 which vents to the outside atmosphere, both the compressor 15 and condenser 16 being located outside of the back of the outer shell 10 where they are readily accessible for maintenance.

The food storage compartment 22 is formed by a liner 23 which is a deep metallic box having an outturning flange 24 (see Fig. 2) for securing to a breaker frame 10F associated with the cabinet frame. The food storage compartment liner 23 is partially surrounded on back and sides with tortuous conduit 25 serving as evaporator coils to extract heat from this compartment. Conduit 25 is part of the secondary conduit system which, as seen in Fig. 2, also includes a top mounted condenser portion 26, and a down tube 27, all of which may be A" steel tubing, and somewhat as described in U. S. Patent No. 2,586,853, issued February 26, 1952, on an application filed by Evans T. Morton, and assigned to the assignee of the present invention. As pointed out in the Morton patent the evaporator coils are so sloped that gaseous refrigerant'will circulate to the uppermost condenser portion, and the condenser portion is sloped to direct liquid refrigerant back to the down tube, thence back to the evaporator coils. The secondary circuit condenser coils are secured in good thermal relationship to a metallic transfer plate 28 (hereafter sometimes referred to as the plication is that in the patent the secondary condenser coils were secured to the front side of the secondary plate, whereas in accordance with the present invention they are secured to the back thereof, aswill be apparent from consideration of Figs. 1 and 2. The secondary conduit system is charged with a suitable refrigerant, such as S02, which during the operation will be a liquid in the down tube and pass into a gas in the evaporator tubing and return again to the liquid state in the condenser portion of the tubing as heat is extracted from the refrigerant by action of the secondary plate as hereafter more fully explained.

It is to be understood that the secondary conduit system is installed about, and partially above, the food com- 3 phftment liner. 23" without any interf'ereiich Whitsb'c'ver IQ P anrr r ism 9f h nrianrrs s s r t zsash 292?: line of portions of the primary system, namely freezer chest liner 13, compressor 15 and condenser 16, are shownin dashed lines in Fig. 2 for-purposesofclarity, However, in Fig. 3, which is intended primarily to show the primary system, it is to be understopdjhat the secondary system actually having been installd first,-may be present although, for thesake of clarity, the secondary conduits and metallic plate are not shown at all and the foodsto'rage compartment liner is shown only in dashed t ine. As seen in Fig. 3, the primary system comprises the compressor 15 and condenser 16 andflconduits inteteflu necting with a primary evaporator which is diyidedinto t-wo parts, one partbeing the tortuous tubing 14 secured in good ,thermal relation to the freezer chest liner 13; and the other part being tortuous tubing 17 connectedin good thermal relationship to a primary metallic transfer plate 18, which, as seen in l 'ig. 1, is secured in good faceto-face heat exchange relationship with the secondary metallic plate 28, metallic ,permagum being used between thetwo to assure a good heat transfer.

As is well known to the art, moisture may collect on the insides and top of the moist cold foodstorage compartment liner 23 To provide run-off at the top the roof. of this liner may be given a domed shape as {shown at 30 in Figs. 2 and 3. Moisture will then runoff the top and down the sides to the bottomof the compartment whichmay be provided with 'a depression as shown :at Q1 ,injig. 1, A conduit 66 'is provided communicating from depression 31 to a lower rnoisture reservoir 'ilLflIC form ofa tray supported by brackets 34, '-I-he brackets are perforated to allow free circulation of air into the tray and resultant evaporation of this liquid and its discharge to the outside atmosphere To ;facil it-ate this eyaporation the water 'in the tray "is heated by'tubing-SS and 36, 35 conducting relatively hot gases from the-compre ssor and36 'being the dischargerzfrom-the moisture .reseryoir. The moisture evaporation has acoolin'g actio'n Qhoth on the refrigerant from the compressor and through conduits 35 and 36,athu sf adding to-the ovei'a'll efliciency of the entire system. This-portionof-the-{system is clearly shown and described in Patent-No.-2;594,- Q73 assigned tothe same 'assignee as -this:.-invent-ion 'and to which reference may be used for a further-understand- Ih teQ v g Referring back to Fig; 3, the 'compressed'relativcly hot .gas from the compressor 15 is conductedthrough goirduit Q5 to the moisture reservoir just "described jaud tthen throughlconduit 36 'to thecondenser 16' wherejthe' greatest" amount of heatfisextracted by theambientair. .the condenser the refrigerantpassesthrough aFcapillary tube 37 .of small diameter (for example, '0;03 l;-:plusaor lationship V tqthe suction to a point adjaeentetlie fie'eizcr chest where there is a rapid expansion'through-an---e'xu pander fitting 38 which serves to partially vaporize and cool the refrigerant as it enters a Tcoupling-39*which divides the flow so that it flows in one path-pr the other as hereafter exp1ained, to the twoparts of -the:priinary evaporator, the onepath being from T'39-fl'hIOHghTCOl1- duit 40, and a trap 41 to tubing 17 secured to priniary plate 18, and from tubing 17 through a trap -42,-'aiid-r'a conduit 43 to a T union 44, then upward andcaroimd- "the freezer chest through evaporator jtubing I4--and'eventually through an accumulator 45 and back'rthroughpuction tubing 46 to the intake of the compressor 15,-i-1and the, other path (of the primary evaporator) being ari a'ldie-menswear ofvarious' components isdifferent in the two cases, the operation (not including assemblyahd' d'isa's'sembfy) of the system just described is quite like that of the system described in the aforemen- 5 tioned Morton patent in which it is explained that the traps (ll-42 in the present case) at the bottom of evaporator tubing adjacent the primary plate, collect liquid refrigerant to increase the: resistance of this part of the circuit so that gaseous refrigerant will not flow through i this part of the primary" evaporator when the solenoid valve 48 is open to permit flow directly from capillary tubeto tubing 14 surrounding the freezer chest. Solenoid valve 48 is connected (as by wires 5152 of Fig. to a source of power (not shown) in series with a l5 thermostat located in; the moist cold food storage commanually regulate the temperature of the food storage compartment- 22 in which knob and thermostat are lo cated. When the temperature in this food storage compartment'ishigher than the setting of this thermostat as determined by knob 53, the valve 48 closes to increase the resistance to flow in the associated part of the circuit tosuch an extent as to cause refrigerant to flow through the traps 41-42'and tubing 17 adjacent the primary metallic plate extracting heat from it and, therefore, from the secondary contactplate 28 and the entire secondary '30 conduit system until the temperature of the moist cold compartment is reduced sufficiently to cause its thermostat to reopen valve 48 thereby effectively lay-passing the circuit adjacent the metallic contact plates.

5 The assemblyof the refrigerator :of the present invention is very simple. The food compartment liner 23 forms.

a subassembly and has the secondary evaporator coils 25 (yvit-h the secondary condenser cells 26 and transfer plate 18) ;mounted on it beforeit is first mounted in the outer shell 10. Thextubing may :be held on the liner by springs '50 hooked overthe-fiange 2 4 and onto the tubing.

The .primary transfer plate, .and its associated tubing are connected to the -freezer chest by elongated vertically extending-brackets 7-5 (Fig. 4) and preferable insulation is provided -betweenthetubing, which is thus-held in spaced relation to-the-freezen-chest. This-constructionisolatesthe .'primary-transfer,-plate and its, associated .t-ubing thermally from "the :freezer qchestrso that a greater independence of temperature control may be realized between the two corr partrne'nts.

-'Previo'us tothe assembly, asuitable iforms' representative offoodi -liner f and the frost chest are inserted into the :-'shell -10 and insulating -mate'rial 54 is blown into the spacesbetween-dheiorms-anditheishells. .After the form is withdrawn, thei insulation. remains in place :since it is 5 compaeted sutficientlyito hold its -shape;pr.ovided it is not -liahdled too roughly. *Priorvtoblowing in :the insulation brackets 55; for;-holding--the:front topof the frost chest weretsecured to th'e sshell,:saidzbrackets :being of nonheat conducting rplastic, --and. -bottom :brackets ,56::for the 6 j food liner alsowof men-heat @c'onductingzplastic. -A rear bracket 51 was alsqi-provided on the zshellr-for holding the liner-gin ans'upnightt-andaligned position-with theshell.

' A bracket constructed-0f heat insulating plastic,

j bests hbwn infig. 4, is provided, being secured to the shell 5 fbyself-tappingscrews:61 extending from the back of the "slie'llfinwai'd'as best shown in-Eigs. Land 4. -As will later more 'eieiin appear, these brackets not only. support .the 'rarer'id 'dfthe frost"chestbufalsqprovide a means whereby the primary and "Se orfdar''y plate's"r'nay. readily becon1- bisd 'r provide thedsired'tlicient licattransfer.

{first stpinthe assembly :is" the: insertion of' the "moisttiold foidcompaimienf linertogether with its associated secondary fri'geration systeniinto the cabinet. In is instance, the lin'er, Wirhj EtheisecOiidafy evaporator l5' a ssrhbly' e itte'nding'above it i placed in position and secured in place by fastening to the lower front brackets 56 and the bracket 57 near the upper back part. The secondary transfer plate is then fastened to the rear frost chest bracket by screws 63 which are of the self-tapping variety and pass through the plate into the bracket as shown in Fig. 4, and the assembly is ready for attaching the wiring and the door.

The lower breaker strips may now be snapped into position. At this time the drain assembly can also be secured in place, it comprises a rubber grommet 64 engaged in a hole 31 in the bottom of the shell and an upper tapered rubber plug 65 seated in the opening in the liner. The tube 66 is provided with an upwardly flared end 67 which engages the upper rubber plug, and extends down through the lower grommet where it is locked in place by a lock 68. The thermostat for the moist cold compartment is already in place being connected to the outer control ring 53 (Fig. 1).

It will thus be seen that the moist cold compartment is now assembled in position in the cabinet and is ready for the assembly of the primary assembly in the cabinet.

The primary assembly is as stated, shown in Fig. 3. The condenser and motor are secured to the back of the shell and the lower frame and the frost chest with its connected tubing is then placed in position by moving it into the space above the moist cold compartment. Prior to moving the frost chest into position, both primary and secondary transfer plates are provided with a coating of heat conducting mastic such as metallic permagum and when the frost chest is in position, screws 70 with rubber seating washers 71 are inserted through the aligned holes in the frost chest and two transfer plates intothe bracket 60. When the screws 70 are tightened, the transfer plates and the freezer chest are all pulled toward the bracket..

When the screw 70 is tightened, the two transfer plates are pressed closely together, any irregularities or surface irregularities of the plate being eliminated as poor heat conductors by reason of the layer of metallic permagurn which provides an eflicient thermal contact between the plates throughout all opposing surfaces. The rear of the freezer chest is thus also supported by the combination of the transfer plates and their mastic by which the primary plate is secured to the freezer chest as well as the screws 70.

The freezer chest being in place, it merely remains for the tubing (suction and capillary) to be pushed back to substantially the position shown in Fig. 3 which is immediately in back of the side breaker strip which extends between the outer shell and the inner liner. The thermostat for the frost chest is then properly placed, it being controlled by the knob 80. The moisture seals, then being put in place, is disclosed in my copending application, Ser. No. 298,911, filed July 15, 1952.

In Fig. 5 there is shown an enlarged view of the area adjacent the solenoid valve 48 which may be mounted within the final insulation 54 on the side of the freezer chest liner 13 and, as previously explained, arranged to operatively connect or disconnect the conduits 4750.

There is thus provided a device of the character described capable of meeting the purposes above set forth. With the arrangement of the invention, the primary system may be serviced entirely from the front of the refrigerator, usually without disturbing the refrigerator outer shell or insulation, and always without removing any part of the secondary conduit system. As previously explained, the ready removability of primary system without disturbing the secondary system is particularly advantageous because the secondary system has no moving parts and therefore seldom if ever requires any attention. But should the secondary system need attention, it is still relatively simple to get to it since the primary system is so readily removable because with the arrangement of the invention the two systems are not interleaved to any extent.

While particular embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, further modifications and improvements will occur to those skilled in the art. Thefe fore, it is desired to be understood that this invention is not to be limited to the embodiments shown and that the appended claims are intended to cover all modifications falling within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. A multi-temperature refrigerator having an outer shell defining a back and sides and at least one door defining a front, a moist cold food storage compartment having a secondary refrigerant conduit system partially surrounding said compartment and extending therebeyond, a freezer chest having a primary refrigerant conduit system partially surrounding said chest and extending in back thereof, said compartment and said chest and the associated conduit systems being mounted within said shell to provide for removal of any or all of said compartment, chest, or conduit system from the front of said refrigerator without disturbing said shell.

2. A multi-temperature refrigerator having a back and a front, a secondary refrigerant circuit adapted to be installed and removed from the front of said refrigerator and including an evaporator portion and a condenser portion, a primary refrigerant circuit having an evaporator portion adapted to be installed and removed from the front of said refrigerator after said secondary circuit is installed, said primary circuit evaporator portion including a refrigerant conducting part in good heat exchanging relationship with said secondary circuit condenser portion and in front of said secondary circuit condenser portion relative to the front of said refrigerator when both of said circuits are installed in said refrigerator.

3. A multi-temperature refrigerator having top and bottom front doors, a moist cold food storage compartment adapted to be closed by said bottom door, a secondary refrigerant system having an evaporator conduit arranged around the back and sides of said food storage compartment for abstracting heat therefrom and having an interconnected condenser portion extending thereabove, a secondary metallic plate arranged in front of said secondary condenser portion and secured thereto in good heat exchanging relationship, a freezer chest compartment adapted to be closed by said top door, a primary refrigerant system comprising compressor means, primary condenser means, a primary metallic plate located in back of said freezer chest, and a primary evaporator having tortuous tubing surrounding said freezer chest and tortuous tubing secured to said primary metallic plate between said plate and said chest, with the two systems being mounted within said refrigerator so that said freezer chest, primary evaporator tubing and primary metallic plate may be installed through said top door to place said primary plate in front of said secondary plate and in good heat exchanging relationship therewith, or alternatively removed through said top door without disturbing said secondary refrigerant system.

4. In a mechanical refrigerator having an outer shell, a freezer chest provided to operate at temperatures below freezing, and a food storage compartment provided to operate at temperatures above freezing, the combination of secondary refrigerant conduit extending within said shell and around and in back of said food storage compartment and having a condenser portion extending vertically beyond said compartment, first metallic plate means arranged in thermal contact with said secondary refrigerant conduit condenser portion, second metallic plate means adapted to be arranged in good heat conducting relation with said first metallic plate means while arranged to be removable with said freezer chest from the front of said refrigerator without disturbing said secondary conduit or said first mentioned plate means, a first portion of primary evaporator conduit extending within said shell around said freezer chest in good heat exchanging relationship therewith and removable therewith, a second portion of primary evaporator conduit arranged in thermal contact with said second plate means; and insulated-fromsaid freezer chest while removablewith saidchest and with said-second plate means, moisture second primary evaporator conduit, and removable fastening means for removably supporting theback of said freezer chest and connecting said first and second: metallic plate means'together, whereby there is provided a structure permitting increased ease of assembly and disassembly for maintenance purposes.

5. A refrigerator assembly including a cabinet, a moist cold compartment-including a liner having a secondary refrigerating system secured in heat exchange relation thereto and including'a condenser portion extending above the liner at the back thereof and comprising a heattransfer plate and associated condenser tubing secured thereto, said-cabinet having an open front and closed back and side Walls, said liner being supported in said cabinet at the front and bottom and secured by bracket means to the back wall near the top of the Iiner'with the heat transfer plate extending upward in spaced relation to said backwall near the top, and bracket means secured to the back wall and connected to the transfer plate to support the same in a rigid fixed position, a primary refrigerating system for said cabinet including a compressor and a condenser mounted outside said cabinet, and including a freezer chest having evaporator tubing secured thereto in heat exchange relation therewith 'and including in "said'system a heat transfer plate disposed to the rear of said chest in front of said secondary heat transfer plate and having tubing for said heat transferring relation therewith, said transfer plate being insulated from the freezer chest, and'said freezer chest being, insertable into the top of the cabinet with the heat transfer plate of the primary system. in heat exchange relation to the transfer plate of the secondary system and screw means extending through the back of the -freezer chest and"- the transfer-- plates and into the brackets'to support athe baclcof the freezer chest'and hoid the transfer'p'lates; into heat -transferring relation" with eac'h other.

- A" refrigerator assembly including a cabinet, a moist cold compartment including" a having a secondary refrigerating system secured in heat' exchange relation thereto and incl uding 'a condenser portion-extending above the liner at'the back-thereof and comprising a heat transfer plate arid associated condenser tubing secured thereto ward in spaced relation-to said back 'wallnear'th'e top, bracket'meanscecured {Othfij' back wall and connected to the transfer plate torsupportthe same in a rigid fixed' spaced position-relative to the back wall, aprimary'refrigerating'system for said cabinet include ing -a compressorand tr-condenser mounted outside said cabinet, and includirrga freezer chest' having evaporator tubing secured; thereto in heat exchange relation therewith-and including in-said system a heat transfer plate disposedto the-rcar-of said chest in front of said secondary; heat transfer plate and having tubing secured-to the front in heat transferring relation therewith, said'transfer plate being insulated from the freezer chest, and said freezer chestbeing' insertable into the top of thecabinet' inspaced relation to the liner with the heattransfer plate'of'the primary system in heat exchange-relation to'the' transfer plate of the secondary system, screw meansextending through the back of the freezer'chest and the transfer plates and into the brackets and providing, a'support forthc back of the freezer chest and arranged to hold the transfer plates into heat transferring relation with each other.

ReferencesCited in the tile of this patent UNITED, STATES .IPATENTS 1,825,;73-1: Hulll Oct.16, 1931' 2,586,853 Morton: Feb 26, 1952 2,632,313 Fehr Mar. 24, 1953 -2,'-672',029-- Saunders Mar. 116,195 

